A former Florida commit hits the portal again in a college journey gone sideways
Redshirt sophomore quarterback from Sacramento State, Jaden Rashada has announced that he is entering the transfer portal, per On3 Sports, but his track record
Melrose residents to protest Wildflowers Music Park on January 8
On January 8 at 4:00 p.m., residents from Melrose and surrounding counties will gather for a peaceful protest at Melrose Community Park to oppose the Wildflowers Music Park proposal and its Temporary Use Permit request with Alachua County. The post Melrose residents to protest Wildflowers Music Park on January 8...
Ocala family advocates for rural pedestrian infrastructure after tragedy
OCALA, Fla. — Data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shows over 6,000 crashes happened in Marion County in 2025, resulting in 78 deaths. 133 of those crashes involved pedestrians. 18 resulted in pedestrian fatalities, with five of those being in Ocala. One local family...
Man with Prior Attempted Murder Conviction Arrested After Not Taking Joke Well
On New Year's Day, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies arrested convicted attempted murderer Jeffrey Ray Smith, 63, and charged him with one count of misdemeanor battery. According to the arrest report, the victim, who is a year younger than Smith, made a “light-hearted joke” about Smith being on...
Gainesville man identified as shoplifting suspect after being arrested for failing to appear at...
Emanuel Lee Brown Jr., 41, has been charged in a December 20 shoplifting incident that occurred just two days after he missed a hearing for three previous shoplifting incidents; the officer investigating the December 20 case identified him after seeing his booking photo in Alachua Chronicle. The post Gainesville man...
Starke woman, 21, dies when pickup truck collides with culvert
A 21-year-old Starke woman died Saturday night when her pickup truck left the roadway on US Highway 301 northwest of Lawtey in Bradford County. According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, the woman was driving a pickup truck northbound on US 301 approximately a half a mile south of the Clay County line at...
Lowell Corrections Officer Arrested for Domestic Violence
Early Sunday morning, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies arrested Elijah Christian Akpan, 27, and charged him with misdemeanor domestic battery. According to the arrest report, Akpan contacted ACSO to report the victim missing. Soon after, the victim called ACSO from a Wawa gas station to report that...
Gainesville man arrested for shooting 17 rounds in Phoenix Apartments parking lot
Mykell Torrence Hicks, 31, was arrested yesterday and charged with firing a gun in a public area after he allegedly fired 17 shots in a Phoenix Apartments parking lot. The post Gainesville man arrested for shooting 17 rounds in Phoenix Apartments parking lot appeared first on Alachua Chronicle .
Walmart Signals Continued Confidence in Florida With Four New Store Openings in Early 2026
When Walmart commits capital to new ground-up locations, the move is rarely speculative. It’s data-driven, demographic-led, and almost always aligned with long-term population and spending trends. That’s why Walmart’s plan to open four new stores across Florida in early 2026, including a highly anticipated Apollo...
No school for most North Central Florida counties Monday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Winter break isn’t over just yet for many students across North Central Florida. There will be no school on Monday, January 5th, in the areas of Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Gilchrist, Marion, Putnam and Union counties. Dixie and Suwannee County students have class on Monday.
